Giving life to Ecosystem of Indian River: Case of Swachh Sabarmati (Cleaning River Sabarmati in Gujarat)

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Description

Intro

Dumping garbage in the river has magnified threat on human health and ecosystem. Drishti Foundation Trust has taken a one-year project for cleaning River Sabarmati (5.665 km). Initial 4 months has been focused on removing solid waste as study found that concentration of antibiotic-resistant E.coli bacteria due to untreated sewage. Due to floating garbage our cleanliness drive didn't last long. Thus, community inclusive awareness sessions started along with tree plantation in river side and through rigorous efforts in 2 months we have cleaned 300 tons of garbage from the river bed and restored 130 bird species in the river belt.

Objective of the practice

Rivers play a pivotal role in maintaining the livelihood, economy and culture of a particular geographical area. Their significance can be measured by certain ways of utilization like, domestic usage, inland transportation, tourism and agriculture. Sabarmati is one of the primary west flowing rivers of India. It has also a special Gandhian element attached to it. The rising industrialization in Ahmadabad concurrently increased the pollutants levels in the river. A study of physico-chemical and biological characteristics of Sabarmati river in 2016 showed that the pH levels, biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen and total coliform organism levels were considerably high. 
Our aims are to make the river free of solid waste and coliform organism. The presence of coliform can cause serious illness and it is evident that potential health hazard since the river water is used for drinking purpose. We are committed to reduce the health hazard in the vicinity. While removing the plastic, metal, construction debris from the river, the project also concentrates on building up a green environment in terms of air quality and preserving animal life by an afforestation drive. The afforestation includes plantation of tree saplings like Banyan, Mango, Peepal etc. the project tries to improve the life of local communities by improving the water quality of a natural resource and also advancing to maintain the regional climate (mass afforestation). Moreover, our objectives transcend into the sphere of infrastructure and awareness. Activities like cleaning the pumping stations, powerhouses are also integral part of Swachh Sabarmati project. 
In India, dumping waste in the river is sort of habit which need immediate attention in context to change in the behaviour of the Citizens, which need aggressive awareness campaigning. The Swachh Sabarmati project is intended to mitigate this problem and aligned with Goal 6, 11, 13 and 15 of the Sustainable Development Goal.

Partners

To implement the agenda of sustainability, need cooperation among government, civil societies, private sectors and other stakeholders to mitigate the socio-economic-environmental challenges. The Swachh Sabarmati project touches various spheres of society. Local communities includes people living in vicinity are the key participants. Primary CSR partner is Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), District Administration Ahmedabad, Irrigation Department Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad Municiapl Corporation (AMC) and Forest Department Ahmedabad. The role of AMC and forest department is vital for the project as they conduct research based on field study and also provided workers from the AMC for facilitating the activities in cleaning Sabarmati.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

The implementation of the project activities are listed below

Month 1
Cleaning Drive in the Area from French Well (Sardar Patel Ring Road) Up-Stream of Sabarmati River to Indira Bridge (Up-Stream of Sabarmati River) Cleaning of Garbage from River belt along with the floating garbage from the Sabarmati River.

Month 2
Cleaning Driver in the Area from Indira Bridge (Up-Stream of Sabarmati River) to Koteshwar Mahadev Temple (Up-Stream of Sabarmati River)

Month 3

Cleaning Drive in the Area from Koteshwar Mahadev Temple (Up- Stream of Sabarmati River) to Pumping Station (Up Stream of Sabarmati River) Behind River Side school on one side and on the other side i.e. Back Side of Motera Stadium.

Month 4

Cleaning Drive in the Area from Pumping station (Up-Stream of Sabarmati River) behind River Side School on One Side and on the other Side would be back side of S.P.Stadium –Motera to Torrent Power House (Up-Stream of Ahmedabad River Front)

Rest of the years

Tree Plantation by Different Schools and Communities with Banyan,Cheeku,Mango,Jamun,Peepal and Badaam Trees.Monthly meetings with various communities,forest, and school visits and inspections for spreading awareness.

Through our rigorous efforts from the initial efforts in the first 60 days has removed the garbage from river belt along with floating garbage from the Sabarmati River. We have removed more than 250 Tons of Garbage from the River Bed.As the river witnessed Three Major festivals i.e Ganpati Pooja,Diwali and Chatt Pooja during this duration and have faced most of the garbage. Disposal of Garbage removed from the River Bed with the help of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

Sabarmati has been the home for sewage dumping since a long time, going by figures a total of 225 MLD worth of untreated sewage is being dumped into the river. Through the rigorous efforts in the past 60 days we have cleaned 300 tons of garbage from the river bed. One of the major challenges was that the location is surrounded by temples and people often perform religious ceremonies there , and end up throwing plastic bags and leftovers in the river from a bridge leading to a lot of garbage being accumulated on daily basis . To fight this back we have requested the Dist. Collector and commissioner to cover the sides of the bridge with high railings so as to control the amount of garbage being dispersed.
In the longer perspective we not only aim the clean the river bed but also plant trees along the river side so as to create a better environment in the longer run . In order to create awareness we have asked students to come upfront in tree plantation. There have been 1000 trees planted on the river side till now .
Weekly school club meetings, monthly meetings with various communities, forest, and school visits is also being introduced . We also intend to introduce Green Ahmadabad parties to celebrate every year’s achievements and recognize the most active members and stuff as a way of motivation.

Enabling factors and constraints

The pathway of the project also contains some inevitable challenges. Firstly, major religious festivals involve religious practices which contaminates river.
Secondly, the river is surrounded by many temples and crematoriums which also acts as a catalyst when it comes to sources of pollution. These are behavioral problems, to tackle these problems awareness programs at educational institutions are considered in the project.

Sustainability and replicability

Sustainability is a balancing act.Sustainability is one the newest degree subjects that attempts to bridge social science with civic engineering and environmental science with the technology of the future. When we hear the word “sustainability” we tend to think of renewable fuel sources, reducing carbon emissions, protecting environments and a way of keeping the delicate ecosystems of our planet in balance. Hence, this project is very much sustainable and resilience.

Conclusions

DFT intended to take up the removal of plastic waste, metal waste, dead wood and leaves, debris collection and its removal from the river. We planned to clean river water by removing plastic and other floating waste. From a long span of time the risk of dumping untreated sludge into our river was neglected in our government policies. Now, the risk has become huge which started impacting our environment. There have been presence of antibiotic- resistance E.Coli bacteria in high concentration at the riverfront beside Sabarmati Gandhi Asharam. A thorough investigation conducted by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had witnessed six major and 10 minor outlets in the city that surround the city’s sewage treatment facilities. 
We have faced multiple challenges, as the river is surrounded by the various Crematoriums and Temples and most of the people there performs the pooja near the river and throws Plastic Packing Material and Polythene Bags in the river from Indira Bridge and average One Tons of Additional Garbage coming back to the river nearly daily which actually required a lot of effort from our side. 
To clean up River Sabarmati, we had taken numerous concrete steps in the same regard. Cleaning the garbage from river belt along with floating garbage from the Sabarmati River. We also removed more than 250 Tons of Garbage from the river bed. Disposal of Garbage removed from the river bed with the help of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. 
The Cleanliness Drive provided and impacted a better life for the people living in the city, helping the environment in every possible way to grow naturally which eventually helps the city a better place to survive.

Other sources of information

The website of the Drishti Foundation Trust
https://www.drishtifoundation.org/

News Stories
https://www.dnaindia.com/ahmedabad/report-amc-auda-responsible-for-saba…
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/civic-bodies-polluti…

SDGS & Targets

Goal 15

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss